Workflow Impact Assessment

Welcome to Optimally's Workflow Assessment

This self-assessment can guide you on where to focus your time and resources by helping you evaluate how changes to your workflows (or processes) can impact your business.

What is a Workflow?

A workflow is a series of repetitive, predictable, and interdependent tasks that don’t always fit in project management tools or CRMs, but are essential to your operations.

Common Workflow Examples:

• Employee onboarding and offboarding
• Managing work inside shared email inboxes
• Approval processes (ie. commissions reports)

How to Use This Self-Assessment

Respond based on your perception of the impact to your business — there are no wrong answers. Go with your gut.

The goal is to help you understand the full impact of these workflows on your business.

Please enter your name and email below. You can submit up to 3 workflows for review.

Use the example below if you need inspiration, though your explanation doesn't need to be this detailed.

Commissions Approval Workflow:

1. Pull data from CRM and calculate commissions in excel spreadsheet.
2. Email to sales team members for review and review responses.
3. Email excel to sales manager for approval.
4. Email approved excel spreadsheet to finance for payment.

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on revenue:

• Does this workflow impact your ability to deliver your product/service?

• Does this workflow impact your speed to revenue? (customer onboarding, invoicing and collections)

• Does this workflow impact the speed, frequency, and number of deals you can process?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on customers:

• How does the efficiency or effectiveness of this workflow influence customer satisfaction and loyalty?
• How does the speed and reliability of this workflow affect the timeliness of product or service delivery to customers?
• Are there any communication gaps that could lead to misunderstandings or frustration?
• How might this workflow influence customer retention or the likelihood of repeat business?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on employees:

• How does this workflow affect the overall workload and productivity of your employees?
• How does this workflow contribute to or detract from employee morale and job satisfaction?
• Are there any bottlenecks or communication breakdowns that cause delays or confusion within the workflow?
• How easy is it for new employees to learn and get up to speed with this workflow?
• Could challenges or frustrations within this workflow lead to higher turnover or difficulty retaining employees?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on innovation:

• How does this workflow impact the time and resources available for innovation, and what opportunities might be lost due to time spent on routine tasks?
• How adaptable is this workflow to market changes or new technologies, and could rigidity cause missed opportunities?
• Are there any bottlenecks in the workflow that limit cross-team collaboration or the exchange of creative ideas?
• How quickly does this workflow enable decision-making, and could delays create a competitive disadvantage?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on compliance:

• Are there any gaps in this workflow that could result in non-compliance with regulatory standards?
• How could errors or inconsistencies in this workflow lead to compliance risks or violations?
• Are there challenges in tracking compliance-related data within this workflow, and how might this impact your ability to demonstrate compliance?
• How might inadequate training or unclear processes in this workflow lead to unintentional non-compliance?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on costs:

• How does this workflow affect resource utilization (time, labor, materials)? Are there areas of waste?
• How does this workflow impact operational costs like labor, technology, and overhead?
• How does this workflow reduce errors and rework that could increase costs?
• How will this workflow scale as the business grows, and could it drive up costs?

Use the example below if you need inspiration, though your explanation doesn't need to be this detailed.

Commissions Approval Workflow:

1. Pull data from CRM and calculate commissions in excel spreadsheet.
2. Email to sales team members for review and review responses.
3. Email excel to sales manager for approval.
4. Email approved excel spreadsheet to finance for payment.

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on revenue:

• Does this workflow impact your ability to deliver your product/service?

• Does this workflow impact your speed to revenue? (customer onboarding, invoicing and collections)

• Does this workflow impact the speed, frequency, and number of deals you can process?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on customers:

• How does the efficiency or effectiveness of this workflow influence customer satisfaction and loyalty?
• How does the speed and reliability of this workflow affect the timeliness of product or service delivery to customers?
• Are there any communication gaps that could lead to misunderstandings or frustration?
• How might this workflow influence customer retention or the likelihood of repeat business?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on employees:

• How does this workflow affect the overall workload and productivity of your employees?
• How does this workflow contribute to or detract from employee morale and job satisfaction?
• Are there any bottlenecks or communication breakdowns that cause delays or confusion within the workflow?
• How easy is it for new employees to learn and get up to speed with this workflow?
• Could challenges or frustrations within this workflow lead to higher turnover or difficulty retaining employees?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on innovation:

• How does this workflow impact the time and resources available for innovation, and what opportunities might be lost due to time spent on routine tasks?
• How adaptable is this workflow to market changes or new technologies, and could rigidity cause missed opportunities?
• Are there any bottlenecks in the workflow that limit cross-team collaboration or the exchange of creative ideas?
• How quickly does this workflow enable decision-making, and could delays create a competitive disadvantage?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on compliance:

• Are there any gaps in this workflow that could result in non-compliance with regulatory standards?
• How could errors or inconsistencies in this workflow lead to compliance risks or violations?
• Are there challenges in tracking compliance-related data within this workflow, and how might this impact your ability to demonstrate compliance?
• How might inadequate training or unclear processes in this workflow lead to unintentional non-compliance?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on costs:

• How does this workflow affect resource utilization (time, labor, materials)? Are there areas of waste?
• How does this workflow impact operational costs like labor, technology, and overhead?
• How does this workflow reduce errors and rework that could increase costs?
• How will this workflow scale as the business grows, and could it drive up costs?

Use the example below if you need inspiration, though your explanation doesn't need to be this detailed.

Commissions Approval Workflow:

1. Pull data from CRM and calculate commissions in excel spreadsheet.
2. Email to sales team members for review and review responses.
3. Email excel to sales manager for approval.
4. Email approved excel spreadsheet to finance for payment.

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on revenue:

• Does this workflow impact your ability to deliver your product/service?

• Does this workflow impact your speed to revenue? (customer onboarding, invoicing and collections)

• Does this workflow impact the speed, frequency, and number of deals you can process?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on customers:

• How does the efficiency or effectiveness of this workflow influence customer satisfaction and loyalty?
• How does the speed and reliability of this workflow affect the timeliness of product or service delivery to customers?
• Are there any communication gaps that could lead to misunderstandings or frustration?
• How might this workflow influence customer retention or the likelihood of repeat business?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on employees:

• How does this workflow affect the overall workload and productivity of your employees?
• How does this workflow contribute to or detract from employee morale and job satisfaction?
• Are there any bottlenecks or communication breakdowns that cause delays or confusion within the workflow?
• How easy is it for new employees to learn and get up to speed with this workflow?
• Could challenges or frustrations within this workflow lead to higher turnover or difficulty retaining employees?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on innovation:

• How does this workflow impact the time and resources available for innovation, and what opportunities might be lost due to time spent on routine tasks?
• How adaptable is this workflow to market changes or new technologies, and could rigidity cause missed opportunities?
• Are there any bottlenecks in the workflow that limit cross-team collaboration or the exchange of creative ideas?
• How quickly does this workflow enable decision-making, and could delays create a competitive disadvantage?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on compliance:

• Are there any gaps in this workflow that could result in non-compliance with regulatory standards?
• How could errors or inconsistencies in this workflow lead to compliance risks or violations?
• Are there challenges in tracking compliance-related data within this workflow, and how might this impact your ability to demonstrate compliance?
• How might inadequate training or unclear processes in this workflow lead to unintentional non-compliance?

Questions to consider when rating the impact of your workflow on costs:

• How does this workflow affect resource utilization (time, labor, materials)? Are there areas of waste?
• How does this workflow impact operational costs like labor, technology, and overhead?
• How does this workflow reduce errors and rework that could increase costs?
• How will this workflow scale as the business grows, and could it drive up costs?